1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to toy figures and, more particularly, is directed to toy figures having disassembleable appendages.
2. Description of the Invention Background
Perhaps it is every parent's desire to provide his or her child with a toy that is not only entertaining and fun to play with but also serves to educate the child or further develop one or more of the child's physical abilities or skills. For example, interactive video games have been found to improve a child's hand-to-eye coordination. Jigsaw puzzles can improve a child's ability to recognize and associate shapes. Those toys, however, are primarily directed to older children and are not well adapted for use by toddlers and infants.
Traditional toddler toys, such as stuffed animals and the like, typically only function as cuddly playmates for the child and lack attributes for advancing the development of the child's physical and psychological abilities and skills. However, a number of other toys do exist that are designed to provide a medium through which a child can develop and improve his or her muscular dexterity and coordination. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,798 to Swett discloses a toy animal figure that includes a central torso section that has removable appendages attached thereto. The removable appendages are designed such that a meaningful amount of force is necessary to dislodge the pieces in relationship to each other so they will not be accidentally dissembled when they are handled by a child.
Other toys are designed to function as shape identification and association devices for children. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,526 to Swett et al. discloses a hollow ball-shaped member that has a plurality of differently shaped openings therein that are adapted to receive correspondingly shaped block members therethrough. Another shape-matching toy is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,211,590 to Kennedy. That patent discloses animal figures having planar torso sections with planar appendages removably attached thereto. Each appendage is equipped with an attachment member that is adapted to be received in a correspondingly shaped socket or sockets located in a variety of differently shaped torso members.
None of the toys described above, however, can function as a cuddly playmate for the child while also providing a means whereby an infant or toddler can develop and improve his or her muscular coordination and dexterity while also advancing his or her shape, color, and number identification and association skills. As such, there is a need for a toy that is cuddly and capable of safe assembly and disassembly by a toddler or infant that also provides a means for developing the child's shape, number, and color identification skills.